Its that time again! Working Christmas???
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Soooo...I worked Thanksgiving and Christmas last year. I have both off this year:p Our ER has tried really hard to be fair in who works what. Usually the newest staff work Christmas. That means... Read More

very well put. i work in an ambulatory center now and no weekends or holidays, but i can remember when i worked those days...and it seemed like those were always the best days to work...as the census was down and everyone was in a great, happy and celebratory mood.

At our facility we get DOUBLE time and a half!!!!!!!!!! I have had two people offer to work thanksgiving for me which of course I declined. I will be happy when I get that big fat check.:roll

For the first 15 years of my nursing career I worked every Christmas Eve
3-11 and Christmas Day 7a -7p so that the nurses with children could be home with them. When I did have a child I was scheduled off for both of those days for the five remaining years I worked at that facility. I did not ask to be off - the nurse manager scheduled me off. Nurses with less seniority complained about it but the manager informed them that I had worked my share of the holidays while most of them were in grade school. (that always made me laugh). Now I am a faculty member (with all major holidays off) but remember those days very well.

This is the exact reason I chose to work in an office. I love nursing, but I love the holidays with family. I know everyone cannot do that and I am glad they dont or who would treat the sick on holidays? Im just saying it works well for me...

For the first 15 years of my nursing career I worked every Christmas Eve
3-11 and Christmas Day 7a -7p so that the nurses with children could be home with them. When I did have a child I was scheduled off for both of those days for the five remaining years I worked at that facility. I did not ask to be off - the nurse manager scheduled me off. Nurses with less seniority complained about it but the manager informed them that I had worked my share of the holidays while most of them were in grade school. (that always made me laugh). Now I am a faculty member (with all major holidays off) but remember those days very well.

Too bad nurse managers like that have largely gone by the wayside! "sigh"!

I liked the idea of holiday teams. I worked thanksgiving/new year last year and had christmas off. The requirement being 2 of 3 holidays worked. This year I am on Thanksgiving and christmas, 12 hr days. Fine, except people who were off christmas last year are getting both off this year. Skeleton crew remaining happens to be the only 2 of us, because "well you dont have kids so you don't need it off". Last year had a nurse demand I worked christmas for her because "you dont have kids" . I might have done, of even split a shift, but for the attitude. All I think most of us need is fairness and that this "I have kids" crap stays out of it; i mean some of these people using this have teenagers for gods sake. Besides you work in a hospital its 24/7. Don't like it, plenty of other options.

Nov 18, '06

Joined: Apr '03; Posts: 7,569; Likes: 2,297

Just because you don't have kids doesn't mean you don't have family/friends and want to celebrate with them.

Nov 18, '06

Joined: Sep '03; Posts: 12,735; Likes: 1,812

I don't think throwing a hissy fit is appropriate, particularly in a career like our's, because, um, didn't you realize that hospitals are open on Christmas? I do wonder why they don't ask for volunteers first before making the schedule, though.

Nov 18, '06

Joined: Sep '06; Posts: 91; Likes: 1

Tazzi, Tweety and CVICURN2003 - wow you guys, thanks for the !!!

By the way, on the topic of "well you don't have kids", my best friend who is a nurse without kids, actually had another nurse tell her that she didn't need to take a summer vacation because she doesn't have kids and can take vacation anytime! WHAT???!!! You can't make this stuff up!

skeleton crew remaining happens to be the only 2 of us, because "well you dont have kids so you don't need it off". last year had a nurse demand i worked christmas for her because "you dont have kids" . i might have done, of even split a shift, but for the attitude. all i think most of us need is fairness and that this "i have kids" crap stays out of it; i mean some of these people using this have teenagers for gods sake. besides you work in a hospital its 24/7. don't like it, plenty of other options.

[font="comic sans ms"]so because someone else chose to reproduce and you didn't (or weren't able to) you should work her holiday? that sucks!

i worked with a nurse years ago who informed me that i needed to work her christmas for her "because you don't have a life." had she asked me nicely, i would have worked her christmas for her because i didn't have a life that year. (that was the year my boyfriend moved out on christmas eve.) but because she was so nasty about it, i didn't trade with her, and put out the word to everyone else on the unit about what she said. no one else worked for her either. it just so happened that someone asked me very nicely on december 23 if i would work her christmas for her because something came up at the last minute at her church and she had an opportunity to sing a solo for the christmas service. she'd be happy to work my christmas for me next year, plus trade for ny for me this year. i traded with her at the last minute, even though it meant working six 12 hour shifts in a row because she asked me so nicely (and because my bf moved out on christmas eve.) the first nurse didn't speak to me until the following november, when once again, she informed me that i needed to work her christmas for her because she had little kids and i didn't. guess what? i didn't.

I'm working Christmas day, fair enough--we alternate years, too--but the people I'm working with don't have childen and volunteered for the day. Even though I'm working, too, I appreciate the people who did volunteer so more nurses with families could stay home. You can bet I'll be bringing in a little gift for them Christmas day :-). When my kids are older, I'll be the one volunteering for the holiday so others can stay home.

That said, we're celebrating Christmas a day early (couldn't talk anyone into a day late, LOL) and the children are fine with it. They got together and wrote a letter to Santa asking him to come a day early (just like the earlier poster) and put "Please open this soon, Santa, it's important" on the outside of the envelope. They think they're getting a good deal since their friends have to wait an extra day for Santa to come.

You've got to know getting into this field that you'll end up working holidays--I can't imagine pitching a fit about it--esp. at work. I hope she's embarassed.

I can't imagine pitching a fit about it--esp. at work. I hope she's embarassed.

Unfortunately she probably sees it as a victory, and will until she experiences something worse, like no one wanting to help her out. A few years ago there was a registration clerk that had been hired a few months before. She was a single parent and came to register a pt in tears one night because she thought she would get Christmas off and didn't. Her way of handling it was to quit, and she was very happy about that decision. Several months later she was seen working at In 'N Out and looked very unhappy. Oh well.